You are here

Overturned truck was carrying lye

Firemen use water to wash the roadway after a tanker carrying caustic soda fell on its side in the drain just off the roundabout near the Mount Hope hospital, off the Uriah Butler Highway this morning. Photo: ANDRE ALEXANDER

A truck reportedly carrying 13,000 litres of sodium hydroxide overturned just off the roundabout near Mt Hope hospital around 11 a.m. today.

Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda or lye, is an industrial cleaning agent, also called "caustic".

Shortly after the incident, the driver of the truck was reportedly taken to the nearby Mount Hope hospital by workers from the neighbouring San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation office. He is reported to have suffered minor injuries.

No other reports of injury or property damage as a result of the incident have been brought to our attention.

Police were on the scene of the accident, where they rerouted roundabout traffic counter-clockwise in single lanes.

Firemen, under Acting Fire Station Officer Derek McLean, also responded to the incident using water to remove the white oily substance from the road surface.

WASA officials, who were also on the scene, estimated the clean-up operation would require 50,000 litres of water.